Lessons from Nahjul Balagha [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

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Sermon
161

SERMON 161

One of Amir al-mu'minin's
companions (from Banu Asad) asked him: "How was it that your
tribe (Quraysh) deprived you of this position (Caliphate) although
you deserved it most." Then in reply he said:

O' brother of Banu
Asad! Your girth is loose and you have put it on the wrong way.
Nevertheless you enjoy in-law kinship and also the right to ask,
and since you have asked, listen. As regards the oppression
against us in this matter although we were the highest as regards
descent and the strongest in relationship with the Messenger of
Allah. It was a selfish act over which the hearts of people became
greedy, although some people did not care for it. The Arbiter is
Allah and to Him is the return on the Day of Judgement.

"Now leave this
story of devastation about which there is hue and

cry all
round." (1)

Come and look at the
son of Abu Sufyan (Muawiyah). Time has made me laugh after
weeping. No wonder, by Allah; what is this affair which surpasses
all wonder and which has increased wrongfulness. These people have
tried to put out the flame of Allah's light from His lamp and to
close His fountain from its source. They mixed epidemic-producing
water between me and themselves. If the trying hardships were
removed from among us, I would take them on the course of
truthfulness otherwise:

"... So let not
thy self go (in vain) in grief for them; verily Allah knoweth all
that they do." (Qur'an, 35:8)

(1).
This is a hemistich from the couplet of the famous Arab poet
Imriu'l-Qays al-Kindi. The second hemistich is:

"And let me know
the story of what happened to the riding camels."

The incident behind
this couplet is that when the father of Imriu'l-Qays namely Hujr
ibn al-Harith was killed, he roamed about the various Arab tribes
to avenge his father's life with their help. In this connection he
stayed with a man of Jadilah (tribe) but finding himself unsafe
left that place, and stayed with Khalid ibn Sadus an-Nabhani. In
the meantime a man of Jadilah named Baith ibn Huways drove away
some of his camels. Imriu'l-Qays complained of this matter to his
host and he asked him to send with him his she-camels then he
would get back his camels.

Consequently, Khalid
went to those people and asked them to return the camels of his
guest which they had robbed. They said that he was neither a guest
nor under his protection. Thereupon Khalid swore that he was
really his guest and showed them his she-camels that he had with
him. They then agreed to return the camels. But actually instead
of returning the camels they drove away the she-camels as well.
One version is that they did return the camels to Khalid but
instead of handing them over to Imriu'l-Qays he kept them for
himself. When Imriu'l-Qays came to know this he composed a few
couplets out of which this is one. It means 'now you leave the
story of these camels which were robbed but now let me know about
the she-camels snatched from my hands.'

Amir al-mu'minin's
intention in quoting this verse as an illustration is that
"Now that Muawiyah is at war, we should talk about and
should leave the discussion about the devastation engendered by
those who had usurped my rights. That time has gone away. Now is
the time for grappling with the mischiefs of the hour. So discuss
the event of the moment and do not start untimely strain."
Amir al-mu'minin said this because the man had put the question to
him at the time of the battle of Siffin, when the battle was
raging and bloodshed was in full swing.